Minimally invasive surgical procedures, including both endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures, enable surgery to be performed on organs, tissues and vessels far removed from an opening through the tissue. Laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures generally require that any instrumentation inserted into the body be sealed, i.e., provisions must be made to ensure that gases do not enter or exit the body through the incision as, for example, in surgical procedures in which the surgical region is insufflated. These procedures typically employ surgical instruments which are introduced into the body through a cannula. The cannula has a housing at a proximal end thereof in which a seal assembly is mounted. The seal assembly provides a substantially fluid tight seal about the instrument to preserve the integrity of the established pneumoperitoneum.
While minimally invasive procedures have several advantages over traditional open surgery, including less patient trauma, reduced recovery time, reduced potential for infection, etc., such procedures are not without risk and challenge. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for providing improved apparatus that can be utilized for enhancing efficiencies and effectiveness of these procedures.